To help everyone get into the holiday mood even more, we’re now going to look at the Southern Born Books Christmas Tour, featuring four holiday stories in the Magnolia Bay series.  And as a special treat Erika Marks is stopping by to share a bit more about her book A Very Married Christmas!

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‘TIS THE SEASON FOR SECOND CHANCES

We’ve all been there: ready to cut bait on love. For high school sweethearts, Marley and Beck, their ten year marriage is at the end of its rope. Separated almost a year and going through divorce proceedings, the two estranged spouses think they have spent their last Christmas together—until they are reunited at a mutual friend’s holiday wedding, and suddenly, to mis-quote the song, “old acquaintance may not be forgot “ as easily as they expected.

Now I am of the opinion that there are few things sexier than the idea of being stranded (temporarily, of course!) with someone you lust after on a deserted island—so when it came time to figure out a way for Marley and Beck to get some time alone together—and back on the road to a possible reconciliation—I knew exactly where to put them! It just so happens that Magnolia Bay is coastal and near to plenty of barrier islands—many of which are uninhabited. Perfect, right?

To make matters even more romantic, the barrier island where Marley and Beck find themselves accidentally stranded for Christmas Eve just happens to be the very same one where Beck proposed marriage over ten years earlier.

Of course, ten years can be a lifetime—and their unsinkable love story has taken more than a few dousings in the last decade. But the magic of the season takes over, and no sooner does the sun set and Beck and Marley find themselves making a roaring fire in the island’s deserted cottage—and decorating a tree with found ornaments—than do the sparks of their never-lost passion rise to the surface again.

Life can get busy—especially for an all-star pitcher and a bestselling cookbook author—but when it comes to true love, it takes peeling away all the chaos of celebrity and contracts for two people to find each other again. I knew Beck and Marley’s road would be full of detours and bumps, but I couldn’t wait to see how—and if—they’d find their way back to each other. Just in time for Christmas.

Because all they want for Christmas is one more chance at forever.

Hear that, Santa?

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A Very Married Christmas Synopsis:

Cookbook author Marley Chambers can’t think of a more festive way to spend Christmas than at a friend’s holiday wedding in her hometown of Magnolia Bay. If only her soon-to-be ex-husband, all-star pitcher, Beckett “Beck” Chambers wasn’t bringing his new girlfriend—and if only he wasn’t still the sexiest man to ever walk out onto the mound…

Beck never wanted the chaotic life of a sport star—especially not at the cost of his marriage to the only woman he’s ever truly loved. But his career is a runaway train—and he’s afraid it’s too late to hit the brakes.

But when a mix-up leaves Beck and Marley stranded together for Christmas Eve on the barrier island where Beck proposed years before, old memories burn bright—and sparks fly hotter than a bonfire on the beach.

Could the magic of the season bring the gift of a second chance, just in time for Christmas?

Erika Marks Bio:

Erika Marks is a women’s fiction writer and the author of LITTLE GALE GUMBO, THE MERMAID COLLECTOR, THE GUEST HOUSE and IT COMES IN WAVES (July, 2014). On the long and winding road to becoming published, she worked many different jobs, including carpenter, cake decorator, art director, and illustrator. But if pressed, she might say it was her brief tenure with a match-making service in Los Angeles after college that set her on the path to writing love stories (not that there isn’t romance in frosting or power tools!) A native New Englander, she now makes her home in Charlotte, NC, with her husband, a native New Orleanian who has taught her to make a wicked gumbo, and their two little mermaids. For more on Erika’s books, visit her website at http://www.erikamarksauthor.com

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Very-Married-Christmas-Southern-Born-ebook/dp/B00O561VCQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413343119&sr=1-10&keywords=Erika+Marks

Links:

Website: http://www.erikamarksauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaMarksAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikamarksauthr

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4782277.Erika_Marks?from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erika-Marks/e/B0057DDFI4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1413268595&sr=1-2-ent

Just in Time for Christmas Synopsis:

Nobody does Christmas like Miranda Hamilton, and now that she finally has her chance to chair Magnolia Bay’s tree lighting and the cotillion, which benefits her late mother’s breast cancer foundation, this Christmas is shaping up to be the best ever. That is until her childhood nemesis Logan Mauldin buys his way on her committee and starts making plans of his own.

Logan Mauldin loves to get under Miranda’s very sexy skin, and it’s only fair. She’s been getting under his since long before their first kiss at 13. Logan’s the last man interested in co-chairing a Christmas committee or participating in a sexy bachelor auction, but since that night he interrupted Miranda on a date and cornered her under the mistletoe, he can’t stop thinking about her. Or vying for her attention and bugging the hell out of her.

Christmas cheer isn’t the only thing that heats up between the Miranda and Logan, but, thanks to a lie that is as much her fault as it is his, he loses the woman he’s loved since forever. Logan will need a Christmas miracle for Miranda to forgive him. A grand gesture to melt her heart and win her back just in time for Christmas.

Kim Boykin Bio:

Kim Boykin is a women’s fiction author with a sassy Southern streak. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair, Steal Me, Cowboy, and Palmetto Moon (Summer 2014.) While her heart is always in South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, 3 dogs, and 126 rose bushes.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Time-Christmas-Southern-Born-ebook/dp/B00O3V6PWY/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1413342058&sr=8-8&keywords=Kim+Boykin

Links:

Website: www.kimboykin.com  

Author Blog: http://kimboykin.com/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorkimboykin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkimboykin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6696311.Kim_Boykin

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Boykin/e/B009955Q2Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

The Trouble With Christmas Synopsis:

At 35-years-old, Cole Stanton is burned out. His high-paced, uber-successful career has left him yearning to start over. He finds Indigo Island, buys a restaurant and settles into an uncomplicated life. But Christmas is a mess. He has over-committed the small restaurant’s resources again, and is over his head. He finds himself longing for everything he has left behind, until a chance encounter with gorgeous Lily offers a spark of salvation to his business and, perhaps his life.

Beautiful pastry chef Lily Edmonds is thirty years old and heartbroken. It’s just before Christmas and she’s just been dumped by via telephone by her fiancee. Her best friend Avery Putnam invites her to Indigo Island, hoping to add joy back into Lily’s life. A chance encounter with the sexy owner of a local restaurant makes Lily feel an attraction she thought she’d never feel again, and offers her a business challenge to keep her mind focused on something other than her broken heart.

Cole Stanton and Lily Edmonds are both starting over. Will the joy of the holiday season bring them together or will the troubles with Christmas push them apart?

Kaira Rouda Bio:

Kaira Rouda is an award-winning and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her books include: Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs; Here, Home, Hope; All the Difference; In the Mirror; and the short story, A Mother’s Day.  She lives in Southern California with her husband and four children and is at work on her next novel. Connect with her on Twitter, @KairaRouda, and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books. And of course, on Pinterest! For more about Kaira and her books, please visit her website KairaRouda.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Christmas-Southern-Born-Book-ebook/dp/B00O5UHY3M/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1413342169&sr=8-9&keywords=Kaira+Rouda

Links:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/kairarouda

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaira-Rouda-Books/125389587505763

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1105560.Kaira_Rouda?from_search=true

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kaira-Rouda/e/B001I9VYB6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1413269660&sr=1-2-ent 

Holidays at Magnolia Bay Synopsis:

After a mission goes terribly wrong, ending in the death of a teammate, Navy Seal, Drew Lanham, is forced to take a leave from active-duty. Retreating to his godmother’s beach house in coastal Magnolia Bay, Drew plans to spend the three weeks R&R licking his wounds and catching some rays while the nightmares from his failed op fade. The last thing he wants to do is mingle with the locals. What he doesn’t count on is an early morning encounter with a goddess rising from the sea. His interest is piqued and his body put on alert when he finds out that same woman may or may not be after his godmother’s money.

Marine biologist, Jenna Huntley, has been searching her whole life for a place to call home and Magnolia Bay is that place. Unfortunately, she’s underutilizing her education giving tours at the town’s turtle rescue center. With the help of an octogenarian patroness, she maps out a proposal to develop a turtle hatchery on-site. Everything is going as planned until the older woman’s godson arrives. Suddenly, nothing is as it seems and Jenna’s future is hanging in the balance, with a sexy warrior pulling all the strings. Her natural tendency is to help the damaged hero, but she’s sworn off letting military men in her life ever again.

Will Drew and Jenna be able to put their pasts behind them and learn to trust their hearts long enough to enjoy their Holiday at Magnolia Bay?

Tracy Solheim Bio:

Tracy Solheim is the international bestselling author of the Out of Bound Series for Penguin.  Her books feature members of the fictitious Baltimore Blaze football team and the women who love them.  In a previous life, Tracy wrote best sellers for Congress and was a freelance journalist for regional and national magazines.  She’s a military brat who now makes her home in Johns Creek, Georgia, with her husband, their two children, a pesky Labrador retriever puppy and a horse named after her first novel. Her fifth book for Berkley, Back To Before, will be released in January.  She also has a digital holiday novella for Tule Publishing’s Southern Born Books coming October 20. See what she’s up to at www.tracysolheim.com. Or on facebook at Tracy Solheim Books and Twitter at TracyKSolheim.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Magnolia-Southern-Born-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00O3NX6KG/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413342958&sr=1-5&keywords=tracy+solheim

Links:

Blog: http://tracysolheim.com/?page_id=336

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TracyKSolheim

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracySolheimBooks?fref=ts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519003.Tracy_Solheim

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tracy-Solheim/e/B00B4GWIFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1413269630&sr=1-1

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Giveaway:

$50 Gift card and tote bag of books

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78adb126/

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Blog Tour Schedule

October 20

one last page book blog              Review

Reading Addict                Excerpt

October 21

Love’s A State Of Mind                 Excerpt

My fictional escape                       Review

October 22

deal sharing aunt                          Excerpt

Between Order and randomness            Review

October 23

Cosying Up With Books               Excerpt

October 24

Forget the Housework, I’m Reading…                   Review

October 25

Roxy’s Reviews                Review

Indy Book Fairy               Excerpt

October 26

My Favorite Things         Playlist

October 27

Travels n Reads               Review

October 28

The Phantom Paragrapher          Review Only

October 29

Tara! Let’s Be Happy                    Review Only

Vera is Reading         Excerpt

October 30

For Whom The Books Toll           Dreamcast

October 31

My fictional escape        Guest Post

November 1

naughty Book Eden        Excerpt

Pages to Explore             Excerpt

November 2

Coffee Talk Writers        Excerpt

November 3

V’s Reads           Review Only

Up All Night Book Addict             Review

November 4

Read It Woman               Playlist

November 5

Literarygossip                  Review

November 6

Flirty Fiction Blog            Review Only

Romance Schmomance               Review

November 7

Those Crazy Book Chicks             Review

A Book Addict’s Delight                Excerpt

November 8

Smart & Savvy with Stephanie   Playlist

November 9

Rustys Reading                Excerpt

November 10

What I’m Reading           Review

Tangled Up In Books      Review

November 11

LuLo Fangirl                      Review

Literary Gossip                Review

November 12

Written to our hearts    Guest Post

grownupfangirl               Excerpt

November 13

Kate George – Author     Guest Post

November 14

Making it Happen           Review

November 15

Jen’s Reading Obsession              Review

Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance        Excerpt

November 16

mignon mykel : reviews Review

November 17

Kindle and Me                 Review

Electively Paige                Review

Friends Till The End Book Blog   Excerpt

November 18

UNDERCOVER BOOK REVIEWS   Review Only

Naughty Book Eden        Excerpt

Romantic Reads and Such           Guest Post

November 19

Heidi Timmons Writer Reader Starbucks Drinker       Excerpt

Booklover Sue   Review

Sexyways of Reading     Review Only

November 20

Sassy Lit Chic Reviews    Playlist

Books Books Books        Review

November 21

Mandie Stevens              Review Only

Smut Book Junkie Reviews          Review